Every so often a quiet uneventful weekend is appreciated.
**********
Penn & Teller give us another lesson in the B.S. that passes for conventional wisdom, this time covering nuclear power and hybrid vehicles.Penn Jillette confirms what I've known for some time - the folks pushing hard to eliminate nuclear power don't know what they're talking about, nor do they care. It's all about control using fear and disinformation in order to 'save' us from ourselves.
When it comes to hybrid vehicles, it's more about feeling good and not actually about saving the planet (or energy). I've seen (and driven) a number of vehicles that get better overall fuel economy than the hybrid Penn & Teller use for their demonstration (a Toyota Prius) that also perform better and can transport a family of 4 and all their luggage in total comfort.
By the way, the clip linked above is Not Safe For Work as it includes bare boobies and lesbians making out in the back seat of the aforementioned Prius. (No, I'm not kidding.)
**********
Here's more information that points to a recoveryless Recovery Summer.Consumer spending is down. Unemployment applications are up. Businesses aren't hiring.
I'd like to see the White House spin all of that as signs of recovery.
**********
You've got to like John Boehner (R-OH). He managed to come up with a number of possible names for the nameless $26 billion union bailout bill passed by Congress. It proves the man has a sense of humor.Here is the list he created:
My two favorites are the DUMB Act and Cash For Flunkers.
Save Our “Stimulus” (SOS) Act
“Recovery Summer” Bailout Act (Cash for Flunkers)
Delivering Unions a Major Boost (DUMB) Act
Helping Election Expenditures, Hurting American Workers (HEEHAW) Act
Democracy Is Strengthened by Clearly Leveraging and Optimizing Special-Interests' Effectiveness (DISCLOSE) Act
Rescuing Incumbent Democrats Is Costly (RIDIC) Act
Summertime Cash for Union Bosses Instead of Spending Cuts for Taxpayers Act
Frivolous Act of Ineffective Largesse (FAIL) Act
Naming These Things Hasn't Gotten Us Anywhere, So Why Bother Act
**********
Fellow Granite Stater Patrick Hynes lets it be known there's nothing wrong with New Hampshire.After 4 years of being lied to by our two representatives to the House and the spendthrift budgets (with 30% spending increases over two biennial budgets) and tax increases by the Democrat majority New Hampshire legislature, Granite State voters have shifted away from the Democrats and are favoring the rejuvenated New Hampshire GOP.
**********
And speaking of the Granite State, here's a rather astute look at New Hampshire through the eyes of a Maine comic. What makes it so funny is that it's absolutely true.(H/T GraniteGrok)
**********
I had mentioned that nothing unusual had happened around The Manse over the weekend. That's not exactly true, sort of. Let me explain.Shortly after leaving The Manse for a quick shopping trip to WalMart I came across a doe with her two fawns. They slowly crossed the road, giving me the once over before continuing their way into the woods. This experience in and of itself isn't unusual...for here. We see it all the time. But it would be my guess that most folks not living in rural and semi-rural areas see deer rarely, making what we experience on a somewhat regular basis unusual to most folks.
**********
Cap'n Teach points us to yet another example of the Gore Effect during an anti-Anthropogenic Global Warming protest. In this case it was an anti-AGW protest in Australia during one of the coldest winters on record Down Under.**********
Whoever came up with the phrase “Payback is a bitch” must have had a crystal ball.As Cassy Fiano tells us, femisogynists moms are finding out their teenage daughters have taken their ideology to an unexpected place.
Talk about the punishment fitting the crime. What did they expect?
There’s a new nightmare on the block for femisogynist moms. Now that they’re all grown up and settled down with teenage daughters of their own, they’re shocked to find out that the sexual empowerment they’ve been championing for decades has backfired on them. How has it backfired? Well, the femisogynist moms are finding out that sexual empowerment has really turned their daughters into slutty teens.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
**********
The suggestion has been made that New York sell off its roads and universities to raise funds to deal with its budget shortfall.Of course that will only work in the short term. What will the Empire State sell when it runs out of roads and schools? Of course they could always sell the Brooklyn Bridge again...and again and again. (It's probably been the most 'sold' New York landmark except this time the 'sale' would be state sanctioned.)